Long Island, NY : What was supposed to be a simple medical visit ended in a horrifying tragedy when a 61-year-old man was killed inside an MRI room after the machine’s magnetic force pulled him in by his necklace.
Keith McAllister was helping his wife, Adrienne, get on the scan table at Nassau Open MRI in Long Island on Wednesday afternoon when the machine suddenly activated and pulled him violently toward it. The necklace he wore, 20 pounds of metal used in weight training, became the trigger.
He died the next day.
“The Machine Grabbed Him”
Adrienne McAllister was right there. She was lying on the table, preparing for a knee scan.
She asked the technician if her husband could help her reposition herself. That’s when everything went wrong.
“Suddenly, the machine spun him around and yanked him inside,” she told News 12 in a recorded interview, her voice cracking. “And it just started scanning him.”
She screamed for help. Begged the technician to stop the machine. To call 911. To do something.
But the machine had already locked in.
“Then he just collapsed in my arms,” she said. “He told me goodbye. And then his body went limp.”
MRI Machines and Magnetic Force: A Deadly Combination
MRI machines use intense magnetic fields. Strong enough to fling heavy metal objects across a room.
The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering puts it plainly. MRIs don’t just scan the body. They pull on metal with brute force. Even wheelchairs, oxygen tanks, and tools can become deadly projectiles.
That’s why facilities are supposed to follow strict safety protocols.
And that’s why this case raises serious questions.
Why was the machine active when someone with metal was nearby?
Why didn’t the technician stop him at the door?
Was there no emergency shutdown?
Facility Silent, Police Restricted
Nassau County police confirmed the incident but said they weren’t authorized to release the victim’s name.
Nassau Open MRI, the facility where it happened, refused to comment. On Friday, someone answered the phone but gave no statement. On Saturday, no one picked up.
Not the First Time a Life Was Lost to MRI Magnetism
This isn’t the first time something like this has happened.
In 2001, six-year-old Michael Colombini was killed in a similar accident. An oxygen tank was mistakenly left in the room. The MRI’s magnetic pull sucked it into the machine, hitting the child in the head. He didn’t survive.
The family later settled the case for $2.9 million. But even two decades later, these machines are still not being handled safely everywhere.
Negligence or System Failure?
You can’t miss a 20-pound chain.
This wasn’t a hidden piercing or a forgotten coin. It was visible. Heavy. Lethal around an MRI.
Protocols exist for a reason. Everyone entering an MRI room is supposed to be screened, visually and verbally. Some places even use handheld metal detectors.
So how did this happen?
Adrienne says the chain had come up in earlier conversations with staff. It wasn’t a surprise. But no one stopped him when it mattered. Not until it was too late.
She Held Him As He Died
Adrienne watched her husband die in a place meant for healing.
She wasn’t just nearby. She was on the table when the magnet pulled him in. She saw it all. Heard the chaos. Felt the panic.
“He told me goodbye,” she said. “Then just… nothing.”
The Medical World Reacts
Medical safety experts are demanding answers.
Dr. Peter Kanter, a former hospital administrator who now works in MRI safety, didn’t mince words.
“This is exactly the kind of event protocols are designed to prevent. If those failed, someone has to be held accountable.”
He added, “MRI magnets don’t care. If there’s metal nearby, they’ll pull. And they won’t stop just because someone is screaming.”
A Death That Should Not Have Happened
People walk into MRI facilities every day. They expect to walk out again.
Keith McAllister didn’t.
Because someone missed the chain. Or someone didn’t speak up. Or the system failed.
Now Adrienne is left with grief, anger, and a single haunting question.
Why wasn’t anyone watching out for him?
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